We recently had guests over for lunch who were all Paleo-ites. I asked myself “are you up to this? YES! would this be a challenge or a breeze?” I look at cooking as an adventure anyway so I quickly placed on my colorful, open-minded thinking cap and got to planning. I want these people to be impressed and go away fully satisfied–VERY important!

Drinks…Dirty Martinis…Check! Appetizers…too many to list! Salad…make along with the entree…Check! Main course…Chicken Paillard…Check! Dessert…Hmmm…. Being in a bit of a time crunch, I decided to amp it down instead of elaborate. Hmmm… What does everyone love? Chocolate! Is it Paleo friendly? YES! “Chocolate mousse?” I say. No Dairy! Yikes! OK, Coconut milk! Yes! However, I want to Wow…really wow! Add a bit of spice…YES!! Here’s the product and it was a mega winner!! Simple, quick and incredibly delicious!

This ain’t no diet food peeps 🙂 Well, it is, kinda sorta, but you’d never know it…Good stuff times 10!

Ingredients:

1 can full-fat coconut milk, preferably organic

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup honey, maple syrup or a bit of stevia, to taste

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (optional)

a pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

a pinch of sea salt

Few tablespoons chopped nuts or seeds (optional)

Instructions:

Place coconut milk in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight so that the coconut milk gets cold. It will whip easier.

Using a hand held or standing mixer on low speed, slowly start to whip the coconut cream. Add cocoa, honey and vanilla extract and gradual work to a higher speed until ingredients are well combined and you have incorporated enough air for desired texture. Top with your favorite variety of chopped nuts for a bit of added crunch, or a handful of fresh berries and serve immediately. Mousse will also keep well covered in the refrigerator for several days.